Evora S Sports Racer: Part V
Matt had never driven a Lotus before either - was he as lukewarm as Garlick on the experience?
The Evora is flawed and consequently not as complete as some of its rivals, that has to be conceded. However, where its low points are tangibly much lower than a Cayman's (the Jag is still on the to-drive list), I'd argue its highs are more enjoyable still.
Evora built for, and on, roads like this
But other than that it was fabulous. Completely and utterly fabulous. I can live with the problems (don't worry, they won't be passed off as 'character') for the absolute joy the Lotus delivers when driving.
Like Garlick, the Evora was the first Lotus I had driven. Having read about the dynamic genius seemingly manifest in every Hethel product, I was rather excited. You know what comes next, don't you? It comfortably exceeded all lofty expectations I had for it.
When all the hydraulic power steering has gone, the Evora will be remembered as one of the greats; it's beyond reproach. It doesn't require any acclimatisation period because it responds so precisely to inputs. The weight is ideal and the feel fantastic; it's constantly relaying information back about the road surface and grip without ever becoming tiresome. It's perhaps the Evora's single greatest advantage over any new rival, Porsche or otherwise.
Quiet round these parts, especially at this hour
Pictures don't do the looks justice as the Evora does have genuine mini-supercar presence. The Sports Racer addenda gives the shape a bit more aggression and the rarity must contribute too. People are happy to see it (that very seldom happens) and it does grab attention; so don't stall, as everyone will see. Just trust me on that one...
So yes, I'm fairly enamoured by the Lotus. And right now, having not driven a Cayman for a long time or an F-Type Coupe at all, I would buy one with my £65K. Honestly. Doing a bit of dreaming on the configurator puts the ideal Cayman GTS at £63K (sorry, I'm a sucker for black wheels, PCM effectively chose itself and it obviously needs PTV) compared to the £66K of the Sport Racered Evora. Interestingly 'my' F-Type V6 S came out at £66,295 with a couple of option prices TBC and going easy on the extras for fear of the price spiralling. When one wheel option is £2.5K and carbon brakes are £8,900, an F-Type quickly becomes very expensive!
However, this sports car saga isn't over just yet. The Cayman (and Boxster) GTS launch is in May and I'm attending; will the Evora still be top dog then?
Matt
For previous updates click here for the archive page.
LOTUS EVORA SPORTS RACER
Engine: 3,456cc V6 (supercharged in S)
Transmission: 6-speed manual/6-speed auto (Intelligent Precision Shift),
rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 280@6,400rpm (S 350@7,000)
Torque (lb ft): 258@4,600rpm (S 295@4,500)
0-62mph: 5.0 sec, IPS 5.2 sec (S 4.6 sec, IPS 4.7 sec)
Top speed: 163mph, IPS 159mph (S 178mph, IPS 167mph)
Weight: 1,383kg ('unladen', S 1,437kg)
MPG: 30.3 (NEDC combined, S 28.7)
CO2: 217g/km (S 229g/km)
Price: £57,900 (£65,900 as tested in S spec)
Still "the customer is always right", as the saying goes, so it's hard to see the Evora as anything other than a failure, really.
2) So much more cool and a bulletproof motor to boot.
3) First poster expects a hand-built low volume aluminium chassised car should be £20k(!) cheaper than a massed produced very nice steel monocoque from a competitor. That probably answers (1).
Obviously I have no figures to back this up, but I doubt a significant proportion of Cayman Ss sell for under 60k.
The Evora is more expensive than a comparable Cayman, but only marginally and givent he seating configuration, one could argue that it's as much a 911 competitor as a Cayman one.
For me, a Lotus has a certain 'kudos' that a Cayman or standard 911 doesnt.
I loved the way it drove and looked, and still look at them in PH classified and think should I have?
Aston won it for me when I saw it in the flesh and heard it, drove it and kept looking back at it when I was walking out of the garage that I was buying it from.
Lotus was a great car though.
you will find it's not lighter at all and weighs more !!!!
2) So much more cool and a bulletproof motor to boot.
3) First poster expects a hand-built low volume aluminium chassised car should be £20k(!) cheaper than a massed produced very nice steel monocoque from a competitor. That probably answers (1).
build is still dire
support and dealers are still dire
the engines a heavy weight old lump
And it's slower
hence why we pick Caymans
2) So much more cool and a bulletproof motor to boot.
3) First poster expects a hand-built low volume aluminium chassised car should be £20k(!) cheaper than a massed produced very nice steel monocoque from a competitor. That probably answers (1).
build is still dire
support and dealers are still dire
the engines a heavy weight old lump
And it's slower
hence why we pick Caymans
My nearest Lotus dealer is actually closer than my nearest Porsche one, and it's quite possibly a better dealer too (their primary franchise is Lexus, who have a reputation for picking their dealers carefully) but of the people I know who've recently bought Porsches, not one visited the Lotus dealer or indeed even knew it existed.
A few people will certainly buy the Porsche because it's the better car, but most will buy it because they don't even know the Lotus exists.
Great car.
C43
ps one point in the article is well made, I have yet to drive a Porsche that feels properly setup (ie damping and spring rates) for bumpy English roads, and it does not seem that the Aston or F type are any better.
Lotus dealers are that bad, also most cars in stock have bits missing which they take off the car to give to customers with broken bits because Lotus takes 6 months to look at any claims.
the company sucks for support and that this price they cannot sell them vs what else is out there.
it's a 40k car and at that price it would be ok.
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